Hello everyone, I am writing this simple review because I thought this racket (Gosen as a brand, really) deserve more appreciation and attention from fellow badminton lover out there. Without further ado, let’s get started. Let’s start off with basic specification of this racket. Weight : 3U Swing Balance : Balanced Shaft Stiffness : Very Stiff Total Length : 680mm Frame Shape : Isometric Max Tension : 30lbs Stringing Holes : 80 Holes As my previous main racket was Yonex ArcSaber 10 (which is also another head balanced racket), my impression of this racket would be solely from the transition I have felt personally from ArcSaber 10 to Gungnir Beta. First Impression Upon unveiling, this racket exudes quality and craftsmanship. Entire racket is painted with matte black and silver finish coupled with some well-designed outline, other than that, due to the material used in the production of this racket, the weaving pattern of Triaxial Carbon is very apparent under light. The word “Gungnir” on both racket head and shaft has a contrasting fluorescent orange finish. My racket is strung with Gosen G-Tone 5 at 27lbs. Let’s move on to my first actual session with this racket. Clear Coupled longer shaft of this racket with its slightly smaller racket head, this racket took me some time to get used to it but it was well worth the effort. During my first stroke, I can feel the stiffness of this racket which is even stiff than my ArcSaber 10. Clearing with this racket is a breeze, baseline to baseline is not a problem even for a female. Lift, Drive, and Defense. Thanks to the LAD design, lifting shuttlecock is faster (racket swing speed) is faster than my old ArcSaber 10 and again, this part requires some adjustment from my part as my old ArcSaber 10 head swing speed is not as fast. Drive and defense, again, is faster than ArcSaber 10 that has a different frame design, however, they do not require adjustment as lifting and clearing does. It is worth noting that due to the stiffer shaft, defensive shot feel a little snappier compared to ArcSaber 10. Smash After spending some time adjusting to the timing of this racket, I moved on to smashing and I can only say, while this racket (in my opinion) is better than ArcSaber 10 in power generation (can be due to new string as well, used to string BG 66 Ultimax to my ArcSaber 10, I am not certain), it is certainly not a powerhouse when it comes to heavy smashing; instead, this racket performs admirably in steep and continuous smashes that ultimately forces your opponent to lift the shuttlecock short. Closing Note While this is a very good-looking racket, I felt that with my current skill level, I have yet to exploit fully the potential of this racket and I would not recommend anyone buying this racket because they look good. As the saying goes, “there is no best racket in the market but the one suits you most” and in my opinion, head-balanced racket is the way to go for me, and with this, I end my review with several photos of Gosen Gungnir Beta.
From my research prior this, Gungnir Beta stiffness is rated as 5 by Gosen and by my own test, it is indeed stiffer than ArcSaber 10, but I am not sure compared to NS 9900. Source: http://www.gosen-sp.jp/products/?id=1403509995-043821&sca=1330652667-930863 (Scroll down for stiffness rating)
Nice review. I have to agree with most of that, even though I've only used it for about 2 hours. It did take a while for me to get used to, but when I did, I really enjoyed using it, especially in flat drive exchanges. I guess it's a testament to how good the Beta is that I don't feel the effects of the stiffness (as I generally use more flexible racquets).
Come on - have they dumped the green paintjob? I loved that one! (Oh well... the green ones should be cheaper now).
There is 2 paint jobs. Heard the Black is limited to HK distribution. But a spot on review. As i have 2 Green version myself but personally feels that the shaft is mid-flex.
Seems like Fleet has repainted their Triotec series after Gosen released Gungnir series. They redesigned it similar to the gungnirs. They now call it Triotec T8 II http://www.tae.com.tw/popup_image.php?pID=515&imgID=0 The gungnir frame shape was already applied on Fleet's triotec series and Gosen put some better materials and stuff onto it. Aren't those two companies(and some others) supposed to be one big company united or something?
Does the 5mm length make a big difference compared to your 675mm arcsaber10? Even if they do claim that they made Gungnir beta extra stiff....I think the longer shaft will make it a little flexier than it's supposed to be.
If I am not mistaken, other than racket shaft itself, other parts of Gungnir Beta (some Gosen Racket really) were manufactured on behalf by Fleet in Taiwan, therefore the "Made in Taiwan" imprinted on the racket itself. The same goes to their Ryoga Series, shaft itself was made by three companies (Gosen, Toray and Seiko) in Japan and other parts were manufactured by Fleet. If I remember correctly, even some Victor rackets are also manufactured on behalf by Fleet factory in Taiwan as well. Yes, that extra 5mm does make a big differences, particularly in hitting sweet spot. I understand your opinion but when I tried flexing both racket, Gungnir Beta is indeed stiffer than my Arc 10.
I haven't tried this racket but it seems pretty cool. Its look don't stand out in a crowd though, especially at the clubs I go to it's mostly Yonex > Victor > LiNing. The artwork reminds me of the Voltric 80's, aside from the color. The addition of the runic alphabet is a very nice touch. The price point is similar to Victor's for me so I would have a hard time going for Gosen over Victor, but I'd definitely give it a try if I had a chance. I hope Gosen continues to produce these rackets as I'm sure they're at the same quality as the big names, with a fraction the cost (like Victor used to be, not so much recently). Thanks for the review =)
Thanks for your review! Very interesting. Can you say something about the string? I think it's more powerful than BM66UM and sounds very nice on my Gosen CustomEdge Type X !
Nice review there Charlie. Your black variant is unique to HK market only, I believe. I do have the Gungnir Alpha, and I must say the extra 5mm length does have an impact in terms of timing. I'm not much of a smasher, and I prefer to rely on placing and deception for my game. In this aspect, the Gungnir Alpha performed admirably. That said, I also have the good fortune of owning the Fleet Triotec LT8, which is almost identical in shape to the Gungnir Alpha, save for the 'normal' 675mm length. I'm in love with the LT8 and is enjoying every session with it. FWIW, the LT8 is strung with BG68TI at 24lbs, and the Gungnir Alpha, R4X100 at 24lbs.
Thanks for the review. I have also just purchased this racket but did not have a chance to play yet. The look and quality is indeed excellent.
The Ryoga series, as well as some Trivista and Root are not associated with Fleet as far as the frame head is concerned. Most likely they are contracted to some mainland racket company (underneath all Ryoga racket, there is a QC inspected sticker spelled in Pinyin, as well as signatures of QC checker on some rackets) I have not owned a Gungnir racket, and thus cannot comment on quality. But as far as retail pricing goes, the Gungnir is place lower end than the Ryoga and Trivista series, YMMV as resellers can provide large discount and screw up the pricing scheme
